The Way of Life
by Dick Roman
Summary: A man who does not believes in life suddenly finds himself thrust in a world where living is everything, and freedom reigns true. (Only posting for closure purposes, this will not be finished. Anyone can adopt this, just pm me).


The room was bare, stripped down to the bare essentials. Everything in the room was cold and hard. The bed was made of metal-a tiny rectangle shaped object pressed near the wall. He knows his body won't fit there. In fact, he was barely able to fit half of his body there.(A fact that he knows too intimately). The room was cold, the lights dim.

Only the stack of manga stacked neatly against the corner of the wall saved the room from monotony. (His only salvation).

There was a shuffling sound heard as his neighboring inmate moved, and he wonders what the man could be doing again. He's questions are answered by a resounding knock on the wall.

"Pssst. Have you read the newest arc?"

He moves closer to the wall, eager to discuss the said topic. "Not yet. Is it good?"

"Hah! More than good. I won't spoil you," there was a pause, and his neighbor's voice turned wistful, "Ah. I wonder what freedoms feels like, I haven't felt it in a long time."

He doesn't remark that he never had his freedom, that his life had no meaning but he manages to hold his biting remarks. No need to needlessly antagonize the other man. He hums, "Yeah. Freedom sounds nice."

"What would you do if you were born again?"

"I wouldn't remember this past conversation but I think the new me would chase freedom. The new me wouldn't be chained to society to live a life that holds no meaning. He would be free to fly, a-and he would find meaning in life."

"Holy shit- that's deep man." He smirks, it wasn't deep, the other man was just stupid. Leaning against the wall, he sighs and closes his eyes.

Plebeian.

...

Garp sighs as the child glared at him, he had hoped his grandson might be sweeter in temperament but it seemed that the child was truly Dragon's. Their eyes had the same ferocity in the them, held the same force. (The same will, Garp thoughts).

Said child was clothed in expensive looking clothes, and the fact surprised Garp. Neither Garp nor Dragon had taste in clothes, and they always wore clothes they were most comfortable in, fashion be damned. However, it seemed as though Luffy had not followed suit because the child was one fashionable three year old. The child was wearing a white full-sleeved polo, with the sleeves rolled up to the forearms. As for the pants, the child was even wearing black dress pants! (Garp recalls the number of times he had forced Dragon to wear dress pants for numerous occasions, and each encounter had resulted to massive brawls and numerous damaged properties).

Kneeling down to offer his hand to the boy, Garp introduces himself. "I'm Garp, your grandfather, call me Gramps."

He is met with scorn and haughtiness. The brat even had the nerve to scoff at him! Garp flexes his shoulders and cracks his fingers, it seemed as though the brat needed a fist- a fist with love(haki) induced by Garp. He clenches his fist, and in a blink of an eye, his fist was shooting forwards, aiming for the boys head-

Eyes widening in incredulity, Garps surveyed Luffy, checking for at least a hint of bruise forming. There was none, and Garp narrows his eyes. The child shouldn't have been able to dodge that.

There was a laugh, and Garp turns around to find Dragon, eyes alight with bemusement. "Ah… I see you've met Luffy," his only son remarks and Garp couldn't contain the angry tick forming at the top of his head. In the short amount of time he had been with the brat, the brat had managed to annoy, intrigue and amaze him. (He was mostly annoyed but the smoothness of that dodging was not something to be ignored either).

"Met? Hah! That son of yours act like a king, pfft! As if he could ever match to those bastards haughtiness," Garp looks at Luffy and gives a thumbs up, "Nice try."

Luffy clicked his tongue and Garp nearly sticks his tongue out, only managing to control himself by the knowledge that Dragon was in the same room as them. Still, if his son wasn't here...

Dragon's eyes shined with bemusement and Garp watches in wonder as the man ruffled the brat's hair. Surprisingly, the twinkling eyes didn't look weird on Dragon's face (Garp still remembers the sight of screaming children whenever Dragon smiled).

"You're right you know, he's rather kingly, isn't he? Speaking about that, can I talk with you for a minute?" Luffy didn't move, and Dragon looked pointedly at the brat. "Alone."

Garp sees that the brat was irritated by being left out of the conversation, but in the end, Luffy leaves anyway. Not without sending Garp a glare though. This time, Garp really does stick out his tongue. Spoiled brat.

The revolutionary palms his face,"If you're finished with your childishness, perhaps you'd want to go through the matter at hand?"

Garp opens his mouth to speak but before he could even utter one word, Dragon was already talking again. So the question was rethorical.

"Anyway, I called you because of Luffy. You've observed his behavior earlier right? He's becoming rather spoiled and he's acting too much like the tenryuubitos for my liking. Luffy is a prodigy child, he started talking, walking and learning far earlier than other children. He's also talented in different areas, sports, music, art, he's pretty much dabbled over everything. Well, dabbled as much as he could, seeing as he's only three years old. He needs to get away from this environment soon- or else the praise of the people would get through his head."

Garp's jaw goes slack- what self-respecting Monkey was a genius?! Dragon was the smartest Monkey in generations and even Garp was flabbergasted at what Dragon turned out to be! Sports he could somehow forgive but music? Art?! Monkey D. Luffy really had no respect for himself, Garp decides.

"Ah! What a tragedy! I'll take care of Luffy," tears were streaming out of the marine's face comically and even Dragon had to move away from the disturbing sight.

"So where are you going to put Luffy? Make sure that it's safe."

"There's this village..."

Luffy glares at particularly nothing. Garp was annoying, he hated Garp! (There was also the fact that he felt his intuition go haywire the moment the man arrived. There was going to be change, and he wouldn't like it). Luffy sighs and looks at the horizon- what was the purpose of his existence?

He remembers fragments from the man. Fragments of what seemed like memories. He recalls parts of it, and somehow knows that where the man lived, they were but an entertainment. A manga to be precise. If truly, they were just that, ink immortalized in paper- why does he live like this so?

(This world had no meaning in it. Everybody has no meaning. Life in here has no meaning).

The child walks around the dock, and sees a woman begging for scraps. (What a pitiful being, why continue to live so when all she experiences is pain and hellish hunger?) He bypasses the woman, ignoring all of her pleas and heads to another part of the dock. Here, muscular men were carrying different crates, and Luffy could practically hear their muscles screaming.

(Ah. The tragedy of life. The tragedy of repetition).

A kind looking man approachs him, and asked whether he was lost. Luffy doesn't asnwer. The man rubs the back of his neck, saying that if Luffy really was lost perhaps they could wait together in the man's house. The man even added the candy nonsense. Luffy only brings his knees up the man's crotch, then he launches an elbow to the face.

Pervert. (Scum).

Silence settled in the bustling market and Luffy recons they were still trying to process information. A man ran towards him, and that finally broke the awkward silence. The man grabbed his face, "What happened?"

Playing his part, Luffy cried and sniffled, he also made sure that tears really were falling from his eyes. "T-The man was saying that I should come to his house to get candy- and wait for my father because I was lost. Papa said that I shouldn't go with strangers so I said that to him but he grabbed my arm and I just sorta applied what papa taught me. I didn't swear to kill him! Really!"

The man cooed at Luffy, but not before glaring at the unconcious man. "He isn't dead, he's just knocked out."

There was a sniff. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

Sheep.

After the commotion, people slowly started to get to their own business, and Luffy was finally free of the pesky man who thought himself a good samaritan. (Hah! Hypocrites. You only help other people because it makes you happy. You don't really care about them. In the end, it's all about your own happiness).

Luffy sighed and made his way back to the ship, nothing ever came good to wandering alone. Hands stuffed in his pocket, Luffy pondered about the man. He was the man, once upon a time. Luffy was pretty sure about that, what other explanation could he possibly have? He was too- unnatural. (He wasn't supposed to be here. The man had idolized Luffy- not him, a sorry excuse for a human being who doesn't even have meaning in his life).

Shaking his head, Luffy decided to forget all of his musings for the time being. Garp was still in his father's ship and he couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling in his chest. He was forgetting something- what was he forgetting? Something big was going to happen today, something...

"...I'll train him to become a good marine! Unlike you, shitty son of mine."

There was a pause, before Luffy heard his father reply. "Please don't. "

"I don't know where I went wrong with you but I'm definitely raising that grandson of my mine to become a good Marine. Why-"

Luffy ran towards the two men, shouting words as he went. "What do you mean raise me to become a good marine?I" Accusing eyes turned to Dragon, "What's the meaning of this father?"

Dragon truly looked sorry as he knelt to look at Luffy in the eye. "I'm sorry Luffy, but I think it would be best if you went with your grandfather. He's going to make you strong." The revolutionary tried to pull Luffy into his arms but the child would have none of it. He pulled away, seething.

"Why are you giving me away? I'm good at everything I do- I'm a genius! I'm the best and much better than those low-lives you insis-"

Dragon made a warning noise, "Luffy don-"

"What do you see in them anyway? Scum should stay scum. They are oppressed because they deserve to oppressed, weaklings have no say in the world. Sheep have no right to express they're opinions. It's only right that the powerful rule over scum-"

There was a resounding sound as Dragon slapped Luffy. "Don't say that. Where have I gone wrong in raising you? You are just like those tenryuubitos, you're a disappointment."

Luffy was cradling his cheek, tears brimming in his eyes. The slap didn't hurt so much, it just stinged really. However, the fact that he was slapped by his father hurt so much more. (Dragon's words echo in his brain wrongwrongwrongdisappontingwrongdisappointingwro-) He stops pondering Dragon's words, because it only hurts more.

He lowers his head, and simply says, "I see." Luffy turns away and leaves the scene. Vaguely, he hears Dragon's exclamations of apology and Garp's own voice. He ignores them.

(Life really had no meaning after all).

...

Luffy is left alone in Fushia village. At first, Garp tried to lower his walls, but after the cold responses, the marine had finally retreated. The marine had stayed for a few months though, making sure that Luffy was at least familiar with the place before he left.

(He is alone now. No father, no shitty grandfather. Somehow, there is this aching feeling in his chest).

Time passed, and Luffy spent the time pondering and training. He has taken to the habit of writing his thoughts and philosophies in a leather-bound notebook. It is a bit saddening really, that the one that knew him most was a notebook but Luffy desists. Company wasn't really important, not at this stage. What he needed was strength, because strength was the currency of this world.

On his previous world, it had been intelligence and power. Now, here in the seas, it would be power and strength. He does not want to live his life here bowing down to society, society be damned. They could go there and fuck themselves, because he wasn't going to adhere to their words anymore, he wasn't going to adhere to their values. (What is the origin of evil, anyway? Why do marines get to play as gods- and the pirates labeled as scum while the revolutionary thought as the rebels or the army of satan?)

He slouches on the sit and writes his thoughts down. Originally, he didn't want to go to Makino's bar, but the place and food was nice, and it was only rowdy at night. He likes to go there and write but sometimes he brings his sketchpad and draws the people passing by the bar. (It was a novel feeling, sketching because he liked it. The man had never experienced that because all of his drawings and paintings were for competitions, for showing off).

Grabbing his pen again, he writes:

Makino is wary of me. Understandable, really, but somewhat disappointing. Reading the manga had gave me misconceptions- I had come here expecting her welcoming warmth, as showed on the manga but it seems as though I am forever lacking in terms to charisma when compared to the original Luffy.

Years have passed and I made sure to come here at least once a week, and I have a feeling that Makino doesn't look forward to those days. To put it simply- nothing has changed. It is inevitable that I disappoint those around me, and I myself. It has started with Dragon, continued by those I interact with, and ends in myself.

I am stronger than the original, smarter and dare I say it- more attractive. Yet the people I want to spend time with keep pulling away. If I a couple of years younger, I would have said plebeian. Now, I know better.

It is because of me. I had ruined everything in these seas. I am un-needed, just like my previous life. The sad part is, I actually care. Before, setting the world in damnation had been a good idea then, Dragon happened and I realized that I actually cared.

Freedom is right in front of me, yet I am shackled by my own expectations. I-

A hand clasped Luffy's shoulders and he suddenly freezes. Who dared to...?!

Apparently deeming himself as welcome, the newcomer grabbed Luffy's notebook before attempting to read it. Luffy sure was happy he wrote those in his native language or else he would be dead by now. Especially if the man was really who Luffy thought he was.

"Dahahahahahaha! What kind of language are you writing in kid? Never seen anything like it."

Suddenly feeling faint, Luffy watched in fascination as lights danced around in his vision before slowly dimmming and swirling and-

 **Black**.


End file.
